Independence Center's CNA program has a new home

The Independence Center has expanded to the building next door to its main location.

The Independence Center, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities, celebrated the grand opening of a new building for its Certified Nurse Aides (CNA) Training Program.

The program, which has educated about 800 students since the Independence Center purchased it in December 2015, “fill[s] a gap in training for those working with people with disabilities and for The IC’s Home Health agency,” according to a statement from the nonprofit.

"We were having so much trouble finding CNAs, attracting that workforce, that we decided: We're going to train them," says Independence Center CEO Patricia Yeager. "They get to know us, they get to come here to the campus and meet people with disabilities, and hopefully they get to know our staff and they want to come to work for us."

Yeager says the program usually graduates about 20 people a month, some of whom are hired to work with the Independence Center and others who find jobs elsewhere in the community.

The new building is located at 711 S. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs, next to the Independence Center’s main location.